Saturday, February 27, 2010

Comments I posted concerning the Indiana Smoking Ban

    
Officials: Weak smoking ban hurts Indianapolis' hospitality efforts

On December 8, 2005 Washington State implemented a strict smoking ban. There was a great jazz/cigar bar in Olympia Washington. People of all backgrounds use to go in there and smoke a cigar and listen to jazz music. Today it is a chain restaurant that kept the name that blends in with all the others. Now the only cigar bars left in Washington are on Indian Reservations. I just don't understand why not leave the choice of being smoke free to the owner of the business. Odds are the majority will choose being smoke free if it is better for business and leave a few places for ladies and gentlemen to enjoy a good cigar. Add to that the fact that most states have no money and enforcement of smoking bans tends to cost more than is taken in with fines. I really miss The Spar and I am sure the old owner misses his business. As a side note - Winston Churchill smoked on average 10 cigars/day. He lived to be 90. Clementine Churchill, second-hand smoke 'victim' passed away at 92.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

A Gentlemen's Sport

 
Found this link on Pipe Smokers Intelligencer.  Great articles on a pipe smoking competition.

Smoking out the competition
Winner of the event is the one who made the pipe burn the longest. But everyone had a good time.

There are some nasty comments like, "chickentown said...first place wins cancer! awesome news."

I don't have the medical studies to back it up, but life experience tells me that 'chickentown' has a greater chance of developing an illness due to a sour disposition than those pipe smokers that are simply gathering to enjoy a friendly contest and the fellowship of like minded, freedom loving individuals.  I don't wish 'chickentown' any ill or illness for that matter, just some friendly advice to simply skip the articles they don't like.
 

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Funny but so very sad...

  
The Privacy of Smoke by Waiter

I found this blog posting on The Smoker's Club Website. It is telling when Waiter stands up to these anti-tobacco bullies they are at a loss. They are so use to looking down the ends of their noses at people with no one calling them on their arrogance that when confronted by someone with backbone they scurry off in a huff. I had no idea that the highly funded brainwashing of the anti-tobacco movement had created such a phobia for tobacco smoke. It seems to me the pollutants in the air on any given day in New York City would be far worse to breathe in than simply smelling cigar smoke. Personally when I catch a whiff of cigar or pipe smoke I am looking for the source so I can pass on a compliment and ask what they are smoking.

The individuals complaining about Waiter's cigar smoke seem to be joyless, paranoid individuals with no sense of proportion. As far as I am concerned, these individuals would fall into place nicely as brown shirts if a totalitarian regime were to grab the reins of power.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Lies Behind The Smoking Bans!


 
Free literature to print and share. 


"Smokers often find themselves in the uncomfortable position of defending their chosen practice against accusations by family, friends, or even complete strangers that they are harming people around them. That accusation has been the basis for smoking bans extending far beyond reason and is usually backed up by vague waves at "mountains of studies," claims that "all the experts agree," assurances that bans will be "cost-free" and "won’t hurt employment," and the repetition of empty but powerful sound bites learned from MTV and professional press-releases."  (Read on...)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Nice Letter to the Editor

           
Letter to the Editor: Tobacco Taxes No Way to Fund Medicaid

A cigarette tax increase is not a reliable way of raising revenue, and the brunt of the burden will fall disproportionately on lower-income individuals ("Taxes key in competing health legislation," Feb. 3).

Tobacco taxes are an unsustainable and risky way to fund health care, because they rely on a very narrow tax base and encourage smuggling and other untaxed purchases. This unreliable tax revenue stream will dry up, but of course Medicaid costs will keep rising. It won't be long before these tobacco tax advocates come back looking for more money from all Georgia taxpayers, not just smokers.

It is no surprise that states with higher "sin" tax rates often have higher overall tax burdens as well. In the end, Georgia legislators need to focus on giving more control to consumers and reforming the state's inefficient Medicaid program.

JOHN NOTHDURFT
The Heartland Institute
Chicago, Ill.

This letter to the editor was originally published in the Savannah Morning News.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Good for the Greeks!

  
Smoking ban ‘not working’

Being somewhat familiar with Greek culture, it came as no surprise that the Greeks don’t take kindly to being told what to do. For that matter, no one does.

Greece was better off before joining the EU. They missed the opportunity to welcome back all the baby boom era Greeks that left Greece for America, Britain and Germany. They left for the opportunity to raise their families under better economic circumstances.

Their children are raised and having families of their own now. A large potion of the Greek Diaspora had assumed that when they retired they would be able to retire to Greece – at least part of the time - where there was a lower cost of living. Try buying a cup of coffee or beer in Greece now.

I remember spending summers in Greece as a kid in the 70s and 80s. The streets where filled with tourists and life. Now fast forward to 2007 - empty streets and no life.

This brings to mind a great movie – Demolition Man. If you are looking for a quality acting experience you will be sadly disappointed. The beauty of this movie is in the message. It portrays two parallel societies. One seems perfect with no material want and everything is clean – you just have to abide by the nanny state rules of no red meat, no smoking, and no cursing and so on. The other society is underground and made up of people that don’t want to trade in the things that make life interesting and fun. Does this sound familiar?

I am not condoning cussing and other anti-social behavior mind you – I have small children after all. What I do believe in is letting the individual chose if they are going to eat read meat, smoke or (insert your preference here) without government taxing and pushing to do otherwise.

It seems that the prohibitionists are coming at us from both the right and left. The only difference is in the approach. Some are doing it for our own good, while others are just plain zealots to have things like tobacco removed from what they envision as a perfect society.

Good for the Greeks pushing back. I do have to say that the whole smoking in a hospital thing is a bit much - but I'm sure it is done away from the patients. :)

  

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Intolerant and Disingenuous.

  
How far does the pendulum have to swing this go around before people have had enough and it swings back the other way - toward freedom? 

Nice editorial from The Seattle Times.